As we gather together in solidarity to express a feeling of mass injustice, we must not lose sight of what brought us together. We write so that all people who feel wronged by the corporate forces of the world can know that we are your allies.

As one people, united, we acknowledge the reality: that the future of the human race requires the cooperation of its members; that our system must protect our rights, and upon corruption of that system, it is up to the individuals to protect their own rights, and those of their neighbors; that a democratic government derives its just power from the people, but corporations do not seek consent to extract wealth from the people and the Earth; and that no true democracy is attainable when the process is determined by economic power. We come to you at a time when corporations, which place profit over people, self-interest over justice, and oppression over equality, run our governments. We have peaceably assembled here, as is our right, to let these facts be known.

■They have taken our houses through an illegal foreclosure process, despite not having the original mortgage.■They have taken bailouts from taxpayers with impunity, and continue to give Executives exorbitant bonuses.■They have perpetuated inequality and discrimination in the workplace based on age, the color of one’s skin, sex, gender identity and sexual orientation.■They have poisoned the food supply through negligence, and undermined the farming system through monopolization.■They have profited off of the torture, confinement, and cruel treatment of countless animals, and actively hide these practices.■They have continuously sought to strip employees of the right to negotiate for better pay and safer working conditions.■They have held students hostage with tens of thousands of dollars of debt on education, which is itself a human right.■They have consistently outsourced labor and used that outsourcing as leverage to cut workers’ healthcare and pay.■They have influenced the courts to achieve the same rights as people, with none of the culpability or responsibility.■They have spent millions of dollars on legal teams that look for ways to get them out of contracts in regards to health insurance.■They have sold our privacy as a commodity.■They have used the military and police force to prevent freedom of the press.■They have deliberately declined to recall faulty products endangering lives in pursuit of profit.■They determine economic policy, despite the catastrophic failures their policies have produced and continue to produce.■They have donated large sums of money to politicians, who are responsible for regulating them.■They continue to block alternate forms of energy to keep us dependent on oil.■They continue to block generic forms of medicine that could save people’s lives or provide relief in order to protect investments that have already turned a substantial profit.■They have purposely covered up oil spills, accidents, faulty bookkeeping, and inactive ingredients in pursuit of profit.■They purposefully keep people misinformed and fearful through their control of the media.■They have accepted private contracts to murder prisoners even when presented with serious doubts about their guilt.■They have perpetuated colonialism at home and abroad.■They have participated in the torture and murder of innocent civilians overseas.■They continue to create weapons of mass destruction in order to receive government contracts.*To the people of the world,

We, the New York City General Assembly occupying Wall Street in Liberty Square, urge you to assert your power.

Exercise your right to peaceably assemble; occupy public space; create a process to address the problems we face, and generate solutions accessible to everyone.

To all communities that take action and form groups in the spirit of direct democracy, we offer support, documentation, and all of the resources at our disposal.

A motherjones reporter said things were thrown at the police setting off the response. I hope the bad guys are singled out and held responsible. The crowd could be heard chanting, "don't throw shit." Well, I'm sure they meant don't throw anything.

I wonder if the bad guys may have been paid thugs trying to make the legit protesters look like an unruly mob? Kind of like what happened in The Grapes of Wrath dance scene?

Things have been very peaceful so far in Portland. There are two or three hundred people that have been camping out in two parks downtown. The city has been accommodating them. They wanted to expand. The city said no. The city actually lifted the camping ban in the two parks they are occupying.

Here in Sacramento occupy was shot down by the city council when they sought to get overnight camping permited. Council says "if we allowed ows to camp we would have to let the homeless have the same rights". Like thats a bad thing. The homeless advocates have been fighting for a safe place for them for 2 yrs. The city sent in 32 riot geared police to arrest the folks who chose to defy the order to disperse. They arrest at least 10 more each night.

Here in Sacramento occupy was shot down by the city council when they sought to get overnight camping permited. Council says "if we allowed ows to camp we would have to let the homeless have the same rights". Like thats a bad thing. The homeless advocates have been fighting for a safe place for them for 2 yrs. The city sent in 32 riot geared police to arrest the folks who chose to defy the order to disperse. They arrest at least 10 more each night.

I bet they'd rather have homeless folks camping out there than the OWS'ers..........

I wish I could send a few rays your way. Last Sunday we went to the city to spend the day with our daughter, started the day at Tomales bay (n of sf) where we ate oysters in the blazing sun. Saw some smart folks had popped umbrellas for shade, we joined them. It was about 85, had a great day in the city. Here today its about 75. With 81 forecast for tomorrow. Last year "winter" came in early Oct and never left. Make this even more wonderful.

If you take the time to read the story in the link above, as well as the city eviction notice in it, also consider my last business trip there - where after making a wrong turn I came upon a burning empty car, no cops, no fire trucks. No one around for blocks. So when the city says its for health and safety reasons people are calling BS.

I wish I could send a few rays your way. Last Sunday we went to the city to spend the day with our daughter, started the day at Tomales bay (n of sf) where we ate oysters in the blazing sun. Saw some smart folks had popped umbrellas for shade, we joined them. It was about 85, had a great day in the city. Here today its about 75. With 81 forecast for tomorrow. Last year "winter" came in early Oct and never left. Make this even more wonderful.

Are they braving the weather there to protest?

yes....actually the weather has been pretty nice up until last night when a cold rainy wind blew in.

In remarks that may put him on a collision course with his boss, interim Oakland Police Chief Howard Jordan tells us that the decision to allow Occupy campers to return to Frank Ogawa Plaza is going to "pose a significant public safety hazard to citizens and police alike."

"If there is a call for service in that camp, if someone gets injured, it's going to be very difficult for police to respond," Jordan said.

"The crowd is going to be very hostile and aggressive toward police because they have been given carte blanche to be in the camp and they really don't see us as coming to help," Jordan said.

The chief's position was echoed by City Administrator Deanna Santana, who said she is "very concerned about health and safety in the plaza."

Santana said free access for police, fire or paramedics into and around the new encampment is "nonnegotiable" and that Mayor Jean Quan "understands my position."

For her part, Quan said safety and health were also of paramount concern and that she was still trying to negotiate with campers to keep the place safe.

Quan was hit with an avalanche of criticism from the left for clearing out the encampment and the use of police force in the street demonstration that followed. Now, she has ordered police to maintain a "minimum presence" and to go into the plaza only if things get violent.

The result - the tent city is once again growing.

"I have to make evaluations daily," Quan said Friday. At this point, she said, clearing out the campers could "create more violence."

Preoccupied: Oakland Mayor Jean Quan may be technically right when she says she didn't know "everything that was going on" before police swept through Frank Ogawa Plaza early Tuesday - but she was fully informed about the size and scope of the operation hours before it started.

According to City Hall sources, Quan, who was in Washington, D.C., was briefed about the raid by phone at 2:30 a.m. PDT, more than two hours before the sweep began - plenty of time to object if she had a problem.

She also had a staffer on hand for the pre-raid planning who was in phone contact with her.

Tuesday night, as the tear gas was wafting over downtown and Quan was on a flight home, Deputy Mayor Lewis Cohen was at the city's command center. There he was fielding calls from mayoral lawyer and police critic Dan Siegel, who was out on the streets.

Oakland City Council members Larry Reid and Pat Kernighan first got word that the big Occupy crackdown was in the works not from the mayor or the police chief, but from a guy who overheard cops talking about the upcoming action at the Warehouse Bar and Grill down by Jack London Square.

Apparently, City Administrator Deanna Santana kept the time under wraps even from council members, out of fear that the protesters might get tipped off.

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